Impact Report
The Michigan Engineering annual giving donor community unites each year to help equip students with the necessary resources for success. We are deeply grateful for your support! Your generosity empowers our future engineers to learn, explore, and experience all that Michigan has to offer.
Here are a few examples of how donors providing gifts of up to $25,000 during the 2023-2024 academic year made a difference here on campus and around the globe. We hope you enjoy reading about the reach and impact of your generosity.
Your Philanthropic Impact
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Our generous community of annual giving donors includes:
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All totals reflect donors who have provided gifts of up to $25,000.
Together,
we are developing people and programs.
Gifts made to the Michigan Engineering Fund (MEF) enhance the educational experience for our students and provide important resources for the Michigan Engineering community. The MEF allows the College to sustain continuing initiatives and enables us to pursue emerging priorities. During the last fiscal year, the MEF provided resources to:
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Stories from Our Student Organizations & Teams
Our students learn best when they engage in activities that offer experiential learning opportunities. Donors to the Michigan Engineering Fund (MEF) benefited numerous student teams and organizations, such as BLUElab Sa’ Nima’, EGL, and MASA, enabling them to learn by doing.
Together, we are improving lives.
BLUElab Sa’ Nima’
Michigan Engineering’s multidisciplinary BLUElab teams are united in their dedication to sustainable and socially engaged design processes. Members have a unique opportunity to hone their interpersonal skills, practice social responsibility, participate in interactive design experiences, and develop as servant leaders.
In collaboration with CasaSito, an educational NGO in San Cristóbal, Guatemala, BLUElab’s Sa’ Nima’ Collaborative aims to enhance the lives of CasaSito families. Many rural villagers cook indoors using unventilated wood-burning fires, leading to numerous health issues. To address this, the Sa’ Nima’ team prototyped a ventilated wood-burning stove, significantly reducing emissions in homes. Additionally, to decrease the extensive time families spend on manual chores, the team created a sustainable, portable washing machine to streamline the washing process and potentially provide a source of income.
While in Guatemala, Sa’ Nima’ members also hosted workshops with scholars in San Cristóbal and Antigua, introducing participants to the engineering design process and encouraging local grassroots project implementation. BLUElab projects and team travel are funded in part through the generosity of the Michigan Engineering donor community.
Together, we are rising to new heights.
MASA
The Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA) sets a high standard for student-built rocketry, employing a multidisciplinary approach to engineering liquid-fueled rockets. Comprising seven subteams, MASA provides its members with opportunities to grow in various aspects of engineering, business, outreach, and leadership through the design, construction, testing, and launching of record-breaking rockets.
In the summer of 2023, MASA launched Clementine. Standing 20 feet tall and 10.5 inches in diameter, it is the largest rocket ever launched by a student team. Clementine reached a peak altitude of 8,000 feet, spending 40 seconds in flight. MASA is currently focused on surpassing its own achievements with Limelight, a state-of-the-art rocket designed to set new size records and targeted to soar to over 50,000 feet.
MEF donors helped MASA to develop innovative recovery methods, sophisticated ground support systems, and cutting-edge structures, enabling the team to fly well into the future.
Together, we are cultivating global leaders.
Engineering Global Leadership
The Engineering Global Leadership (EGL) Honor Society is committed to developing the personal, professional, and academic capabilities of its members through engineering excellence, global education, business acumen, and leadership experience.
A critical program component, EGL’s Volunteer Abroad trips immerse students in different cultures through impactful volunteer activities focused on environmental conservation, sustainability, and community involvement. These practical experiences complement students’ technical curriculum, offering opportunities to approach engineering from a systems perspective and to better understand the needs of diverse communities.
2024 Volunteer Abroad projects included:
- Environmental research focusing on kelp sampling to assess ecosystem health in Cape Peninsula, South Africa
- Sustainable farming and reforestation in Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA
- Cloud forest conservation and sustainable farming practices in Pichincha, Ecuador
- Turtle conservation, research, and beach clean-up in San Jose, Costa Rica
Donors to the MEF enable our students to not only assist international communities but also to expand their global literacy and gain new perspectives—experiences that are invaluable for developing future leaders in an increasingly interconnected world.
Together, we are equipping our engineers for success.
Strategic Initiatives
At Michigan Engineering, knowledge isn’t gained solely within the walls of lecture halls, but also when immersed in hands-on research and project execution inside our laboratories. Here, students work alongside world-renowned faculty in state-of-the-art facilities, often collaborating on projects that contribute significantly to society and the future. Donor support helps to enable these opportunities by ensuring students have access to advanced technologies and equipment. Here are a few examples:
- Mechanical Engineering: X50 Welding Lab Enhancements
Serving both the undergraduate and graduate Mechanical Engineering programs, the welding lab offers key resources for students dedicated to making the world work better. Recent enhancements include upgrades that benefit various projects, from senior design to X50/X95 lab experiments and graduate shop fabrication. - Biomedical Engineering: Instrumentation Lab Equipment
The Biomedical Engineering Department offers collaborative research and educational opportunities to the University of Michigan Community. Lab improvements include new oscilloscopes and a benchtop autoclave in the Instrumentation Lab, enhancing both student learning and energy efficiency. - Lurie Nanofabrication Facility: Optical Microscope Capabilities
The Robert H. Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF) offers technology educators and innovators broad access to advanced nanofabrication equipment. Enhancements to the LNF include upgrades to the optical microscopes in the main cleanroom and improved digital image capture capabilities.
Together,
we are enabling the pursuit of dreams.
Undergraduate Scholarships
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the College awarded more than $200,000 in need- and merit-based scholarships through the Michigan Engineering Fund and Michigan Engineering Fund – Scholarships to grateful students.
“Support from the MEF has allowed me to fully immerse myself in my studies and partake in every opportunity that interests me, from learning how to work in a lab to traveling with my team to cross-country races. Moreover, it has enabled me to broaden my horizons and engage with diverse experiences that have significantly contributed to my academic and personal growth. I’m so grateful for this scholarship and its help in allowing me to make the most of every opportunity at Michigan.“
Ava Baak
Class of 2027
Together,
we are supporting our community.
Engineering Student Critical Needs Fund
The Engineering Student Critical Needs Fund provides resources to students with unanticipated, immediate financial needs, from tuition assistance to living expenses to technology purchases. In 2023-2024, donors generously contributed more than $88,000 to this fund.
“When I was accepted to U-M, I knew I would need to work part-time jobs in order to support my education expenses. However, when my father passed away, working only part time was no longer sustainable enough for me to finish school since he was the sole provider for our family and I also had a younger sibling going to college. The support I received from the Engineering Student Critical Needs Fund allowed me to continue taking classes and pay for my housing. Without this assistance, I would not have been able to focus on my studies and do well in school. Your generosity has positively changed the outcome of my future.“
Christine Wu
Class of 2024
